Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Binney Memorial Medal, bronze, 48mm. (Winifred Myers, 1955), in John Pinches, London case of issue, extremely fine £400-500

Sold with the official Binney Memorial Medal presentation citation and two photographs of the recipient at the awards ceremony.

Citation reads: ‘At about 9.30 p.m. on 8th November, 1955, Mrs Myers received a call for help from the woman occupying the top-floor flat in the house in which she lives. The woman said that her former husband had called on her and was behaving strangely. She knew he had a gun. Mrs Myers promptly called a police officer and leaving the woman downstairs in her flat went with the officer to the door of the flat above, which was shut. She tried to persuade the man to open it but was unsuccessful and she returned to her own flat, leaving the police officer alone. The man then opened the door, discovered the police officer there, slammed the door and fired a shot through it, injuring the officer, who went to call for police help. Mrs Myers returned to the top flat and persuaded the man to open the door again. He was waving the gun about and Mrs Myers tried to get him to give it to her but this he refused to do and on the arrival of more police officers he went inside the flat and shut the door. He fired several more shots through the door, narrowly missing Mrs Myers and the officers, but eventually came out and surrendered to the police.
Mrs Myers acted with great presence of mind and with no regard for her personal safety. There is no doubt that her intervention prevented the situation from becoming more serious.’
The citation bears the signatures of the Chief Magistrate of the Metropolitan Police Courts, Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Commissioner of Police for the City of London, Fourth Sea Lord and Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.